


Tomato Boy

by LovelyLittleGrim



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cam-boy! Liam, He Blushes A LOT, Human AU, M/M, Side Morey, Smut in chapter 2 and 3, awkward Theo, its fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 07:11:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15334596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleGrim/pseuds/LovelyLittleGrim
Summary: Theo’s just trying to buy groceries when he runs into a familiar looking guy at the store. He’s way too awkward to deal with the events that come next.





	Tomato Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sofiaaaaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiaaaaa/gifts).



> This is a suuuuper late birthday gift to the one and only Sofia. Happy late birthday you bullicorn!! Love you!!!

 

Theo keeps running over his grocery list in his head, checking and then re-checking that he has everything he needs. He hates when he gets home after shopping just to realize that he forgot one of the more important things he had gone to the store to get. He scans the shopping cart one last time and then nods to himself, that’s everything. Gripping the handles of the shopping cart Theo directs it towards the checkout line, there are two other people in front of him, but they both have only a few items.

He glances around the checkout area, eyes drifting over the rack of magazines and the colorful display of candy set out before moving to look back in front of him. The guy in line just before him has turned around, his lips clenched between his teeth as he stares at the display of Reeses.

Theo frowns contemplatively. There’s something about the man. Something about the way his hair falls into his face, the curve of his lips. It’s all annoyingly familiar and yet just out of reach in Theo’s mind.

The young man turns to Theo, a passing look, but then pauses as he really stops to take Theo in. The young man blinks and then smiles, slow and knowing. Theo panics, his hands tightening on the handle of his cart.

 _Does he know this guy?_ He wracks his brain hurriedly. The man looks painfully familiar, but Theo can’t remember who he is or how they’re acquainted. 

Highschool? _No, Theo would remember if he went to high school with someone that pretty._

A one-night stand?  _No… Maybe… Theo can’t remember._

He hates awkward situations like this.

Wait, did Corey date him? Is Theo standing in line behind one of Corey’s crazy exes?

“Hey,” the word just tumbles from Theo’s mouth without his consent, it sounds awkward even to Theo’s ears. He fights back a wince, his fingers tapping nervously against the metal of his shopping cart.

The guy tips his head in greeting. “Hey,” He says, his voice calm and cool, a playful smile twitching at the corner of his mouth but giving nothing away.

Theo doesn’t know what to do now, or what to say. He stands there awkwardly, lips slightly parted. He wonders if he looks as panicked as he feels. He hopes not.

“I’m Liam,” the guy says at long last and holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you…”

 _Oh,_ Theo doesn’t know him.

_Thank god_

That would have been an awkward conversation to work his way through.

Theo releases his hold on the shopping cart to reach for Liam’s hand, but then Liam licks his bottom lip and _fuck_ … Theo recognizes him. He jerks his hand back before it even touches Liam’s fingertips.

“Oh my god, tomatoes,” Theo shouts, dragging his shopping cart from the line while Liam stares at him with wide eyes his hand still hanging between them waiting for Theo to shake it. “I forgot tomatoes, sorry, I have to go now.” 

He hears a small laugh and a low whisper of _what the fuck_ and his face burns with embarrassment as he quickly retreats to a random aisle in order to hide. He stands there, heart thundering in his chest and lungs begging for air.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he whispers as he slumps against the shelves behind him. He knocks over several boxes of feminine hygiene products, but he doesn’t care.

That was _Liam fucking Dunbar._

Theo runs his hands over his face and groans with embarrassment. He just acted like a complete idiot in front of one of his favorite bloggers. Liam had tried to shake his hand and Theo had yelled about tomatoes in his face like some crazy person.

“Fuck,” he whines and drags his hands down his face. He glances at his shopping cart and winces. Right on top are three bright red and painfully obvious tomatoes.

* * *

 

Corey is laughing so hard there are literal tears streaming down his cheeks. Theo would be worried his friend might pass out, but he doesn’t care at the moment. It would be preferable, really.

“It’s not funny,” Theo says for what feels like the hundredth time as he slouches back in his spot on the couch. He wants to curl up and die in peace.

“Dude, it’s hilarious. Seriously, this is the greatest day of my life,” Corey croaks out, wiping at his red face. “You… fuck… I can’t.”

Theo kicks at Corey’s thigh and grins smugly when Corey lets out a pained yelp and clutches at it like he’s been shot. Corey bruises like a delicate peach.

“Dude, ow, it’s not my fault you embarrassed yourself in front of your favorite porn star,” Corey whines, rubbing at his thigh where the skin is already starting to turn red. Theo can see the forming bruise from where Corey’s shorts have ridden up his leg.

Corey glares over at Theo and Theo flips him off.

“He’s not a porn star, he’s…” Theo waves his hand. “A cam boy. He just makes videos on Tumblr and CameraShy.”

“Yeah, hot ones that you enjoy jerking off to over and over and over,” Corey says excitedly, forgetting about his injured leg and sitting up straighter. His eyes practically gleam with excitement as he leans closer to Theo and exclaims: “Dude! You know what this means, right?”

Theo crosses his arms over his chest and grumbles. “Yeah, it means we have to find a different store to shop at because that one is no longer safe.”

Corey rolls his eyes and waves his hand through the air. “No, you dipshit, it means that Liam lives nearby, think about it, why else would he be shopping at the neighborhood market?”

Theo tips his head back against the couch and whines. This means there are more chances of running into Liam and embarrassing himself in front of the guy. That’s just great, really, Theo loves his life so much right now. He thumps his head against the back of the couch and contemplates moving somewhere far away like Greece, he’s always wanted to go there anyway. Maybe he can meet a nice young woman named Sofia and settle down far, far away from here where apparently Liam Dunbar lives.

“Shh, listen, you have to go back and get his number Theo, it’s practically destiny,” Corey insists. Theo lets his head drop back down. “How many people can say they’ve met their favorite cam-boy in real life? And I’m talking in a not creepy stalkerish type of way.”

“No,” Theo says resiliently.

Corey opens his mouth, but Theo cuts him off quickly.

“Nope, not happening, I completely embarrassed myself, Corey. For fucks sake I shouted tomatoes in his face and then ran away.” he covers his face with his hands and groans at the memory of it all. Theo wonders if maybe, hopefully in some other universe there’s a version of him that’s smooth and not awkward. “I’m never stepping foot into that store ever again and you can’t make me you asshole.”

“Yeah,” Corey smiles and there’s nothing nice or reassuring about the way his lips stretch across his face as he stares over at Theo. “We’ll see.”

* * *

 

Theo’s stepping foot back into the store and it is entirely Corey’s fault.

He hates his best friend.

Theo’s made it nearly a month without having to be in here, he’s begged and pleaded and done the _fucking dishes_ _every day_ just to avoid coming back in here, but here he is at nine in the morning. He’s in the store and trying not to have a fucking panic attack. He wishes he had more time to dress up instead of just wearing a plain shirt and a pair of sweats, but he hadn’t had any time before Corey had thrown him out of the house. That demon.

Theo’s on guard the entire time he’s in the store, peeking around corners before he takes them, peering through racks of fruit as he picks out bananas. He looks like a total fucking creep and even he knows it. He doesn’t need the beady little eyes of every old woman watching him like they think he’s going to try and steal their purses. He makes enough money on his own, he doesn’t need their gaudy bags full of hard candy and stolen bank pens.

He sighs with relief when he’s gotten everything on his list and is able to guide his shopping cart into the nearest check-out line. He’s tired and tense from being so paranoid throughout his entire shopping excursion. He’s ready to pay for his stupid groceries and go home to drop back into bed for a year.

“Hey, tomato boy,” a voice says from behind him and Theo freezes at the familiar sound of it. The tenor is burned into his mind, countless moans and pleas and delighted laughs as deft fingers do sinful things. Theo hates himself for remembering them all at once.

“I haven’t seen you around in a while,” Liam continues to say with an ever so slight pout in his tone.

Theo turns to face Liam, an excuse ready on his tongue but it slips away the moment he lays eyes on the man behind him in line. Liam is dressed in baggy sleep pants and a blue hoodie. He looks soft and warm with his sleep-ruffled hair and Theo feels like he can’t breathe. That’s how unfair Liam looks.

 “Yeah. I, uh, I haven’t had much time to… eat.” Theo barely manages to stop himself from facepalming as soon as the words are out of his mouth.

Liam grins at him. “Oh? What a shame, I heard that eating is _pretty important_. You know, as far as _living_ goes, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Theo says awkwardly, his feet shuffling against the tile.

Liam glances down at Theo’s cart, his blue eyes lazily cataloging the contents, he points at the cart of groceries and grins. “Oh good, you have tomatoes this time, so there’s no reason for you to run away before telling me your name.”

“I didn’t run away, I needed—”

“Tomatoes,” Liam nods. “Yeah, I know. The whole store knows actually, what with how loudly you said it.”

“Oh,” Theo says, face burning. “Um, sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, tomatoes are very important, they’re full of vitamin C and other important health things,” Liam teases, he looks like he’s about to say something else but then his cell phone rings. The sound of it cutting through their conversation like a knife.

He shoots Theo an apologetic look, but Theo has never been so grateful for a conversation to be interrupted. He’s terrible at small talk, and he’s pretty sure he’s embarrassed himself in front of this guy more than enough as it is.

“Sorry,” Liam says and fishes his phone from his pocket. “Work call.”

“Next!” The checkout woman calls. Theo bobs his head at Liam and hurries to put his food on the conveyor belt so that it can be rung up. The woman is quick, and Theo is leaving the store before Liam can say another word to him.

_Theo hates Corey so much._

* * *

 

“What’s with that look on your face,” Corey asks as he sips at his coffee. He’s squinting at Theo through barely open eyes his hair a mess atop his head. “You look like you want to stab me.”

“That’s because I do,” Theo grunts out as he falls into the chair opposite Corey at the kitchen table. “You made me go back into that store.”

“So?” Corey stares at him for a moment longer and then a grin spreads across his face. “You saw porn-boy again, didn’t you?” 

“No,” Theo says quickly and watches as Corey rolls his eyes in disbelief. “And, don’t call him that.”

“Cam-boy then,” Corey shrugs. “Whatever, did you get his number this time? Please tell me you got his number, Theo!”

“No, I didn’t get his number.”

Corey groans and lets his head fall onto the table next to his mug of coffee. “Theo, you are killing me here. How am I supposed to live vicariously through you if you’re not out there fucking everyone while I sit here and struggle through essay after essay?”

Theo snorts. “You’re not,” he says rolling his eyes. He pushes himself up from his chair, makes Corey another cup of coffee and then heads to his room for a nap. It’s been a stressful morning he deserves all the naps.

* * *

 

The morning air is crisp and cool against Theo’s face as he hops down the stairs of his apartment building. He pauses on the sidewalk to stretch, his arms rising high above his head. It’s his first free Sunday morning in weeks, work and school tying him up and stealing away his chance to unwind.

He drops his arms to his side and twists his body, his bones popping and muscles stretching. With a content sigh, he jogs in place before taking off down the sidewalk towards the large park just south of their apartment building.

Sunlight is just starting to spill across the sky, washing the world in a pale gold light. It catches on street signs and clean cars, glimmering light tiny rainbows in the air where the reflective surfaces throw the light. There’s a calm to the city, a sleepy stillness. Theo loves morning runs.

He’s just coming up on his third mile, his thighs burn and his lungs ache with the chill as he breathes heavily in through his nose and out through his mouth. Cold sweat is gathered at the back of his neck and trickling down the line of his spine, it’s sticky and it tickles but he ignores it. Focuses on the burning, the ache, the freeness of running down the trail through the throng of trees that litter the park.

There’s a scuffing sound on the pavement, one that Theo instantly recognizes as another runner. He moves to the side, leaving room for the newcomer to run in case they’re going at a faster pace than him. He can see them in his peripheral, hear the soft panting of their controlled breathing but otherwise, he doesn’t pay them any attention.

“You have good form,” the runner says, and Theo nearly trips when he recognizes the voice. “Do you run often?”

Theo jerks his head to the side, his eyes wide as he takes in a sweaty Liam Dunbar. Liam’s hair is pushed back off his face, slick with sweat, his cheeks flushed from exertion. He smiles at Theo loosely.

Theo thought he would be safe on his jog. There’s no store around him, no way for Theo to be cornered by Liam.

_Theo was obviously wrong._

“Morning,” Liam chirps at him as Theo just stares at him and runs.

“Morning,” Theo says back automatically before remembering what Liam had said first. “Uh, thanks.”

He drops his eyes to Liam’s legs as they run side by side and then drags his gaze back up to Liam’s face.

“You too,” Theo tacks on and hopes that it’s not painfully obvious that he likes Liam’s legs. They’re lean but muscled and shiny with sweat.

Liam’s smile stretches into a grin. “Thanks.”

“So,’ Liam says after several moments of silent running. Theo glances over at him nervously. His heart is beating way too fast to be healthy. “Are you ever going to tell me your name, or am I just doomed to refer to you as Tomato boy in my head for the rest of our lives?

Theo tries not to feel excited at the thought of Liam thinking about him. He slows gradually and comes to a stop, Liam stopping with him.

“It’s Theo,” he says as he lifts up his shirt to wipe away the sweat from his face and to hide the embarrassment that flickers across it when he remembers their other two awkward encounters.

When Theo drops the hem of his shirt he catches Liam’s eyes shooting up from his stomach. Liam doesn’t look concerned about being caught staring at Theo’s body. Theo flushes and Liam grins.

“Oh,” Liam says delightedly. “You blush so easily, you really are an actual tomato, aren’t you?”

“I’m not,” Theo tells him adamantly as they stand in front of one another.

Liam jogs in place, sweat running down the side of his face towards his neck. It draws Theo’s eyes to it, he wants to follow its path with his fingers and tongue.

“I don’t know, your face is pretty red,” Liam murmurs breathily. “And it seems to be getting redder.”

“It’s hot outside,” Theo huffs as he forcefully pushes away his lewd thoughts about Liam. He can’t afford to get hard right now. He doesn’t think he would be able to survive anymore embarrassment.

Liam mumbles something beneath his breath but Theo doesn’t catch it before he’s sent a dazzling smile and a wave. “I still have another two miles to go. I’ll see you later tomato boy.”

“My names Theo,” Theo tells him, wondering if Liam had already forgotten it.

Liam turns around and jogs backward down the sidewalk of the park. “Yeah, I know, but Tomato Boy suites you.”

“How?” Theo yells trying not to roll his eyes and laugh.

“Because it’s cute!” Liam grins at Theo and then turns back around and jogs away.

Theo watches him until he’s out of sight, his eyes firmly fixated on Liam’s ass. He tries not to feel too guilty for looking but doesn’t quite succeed.

 

* * *

 

“I know I said we have to move, but Corey… We really have to move,” Theo laments as he drops down on the couch beside his best friend.

Corey makes a disgusted face and kicks at him. “Dude, gross, you’re all sweaty.”

"Sweat isn't important right now, Corey," Theo grumbles and swats at his friend's leg. "I mean it, we can find a nice place on the other side of town."

"Dude, I love our place, we're not moving," Corey pauses, his sock-covered foot pressing rudely into Theo’s thigh. “Wait, why are you home so early?”

Theo turns and gives him a pointed look. "Take a wild guess."

"Oh, it was cam-boy again, wasn't it?" Corey flops his head back against the couch and gets comfortable like Theo is about to tell him the greatest story ever. The prick has zero sympathy for Theo or his seemingly never-ending plight. 

“Fuck you, I’m taking a shower,” Theo grumbles and pushes himself up from the couch and because he's a petty shit he makes sure to rub his sweaty limbs all over Corey's exposed legs. 

Corey squeaks out and throws himself to the floor in an effort to avoid Theo's sweaty arms. He lands on the ground with a thud and glowers up at Theo. "You're gross, I hate you." 

"The feeling is mutual you asshat," Theo says and marches away. 

"Shit, wait, Theo come back," Corey says from the floor. "Tell me about Cam-boy!"

“You don’t deserve to know,” Theo says as he grabs a towel and heads for the shower. “Only friends who have sympathy get to know.”

“I’m your only friend though,” Corey says petulantly. "Who else are you going to tell?"

Theo flips him off and shuts the bathroom door. He doesn’t actually climb into the shower yet though, instead, he sits on the corner of the tub and googles apartments and then, because he’s still feeling petulant, he looks for new roommates too. He also takes a screenshot of a nice new place that needs a fourth roommate and sends it to Corey with the words: _bye bye, assface._

He won't actually leave Corey alone, because Corey is practically his brother, but it makes him feel better, especially when he hears Corey's dismayed yell of: "You wouldn't dare."


End file.
